CENTRAL POINT, Ore. – With water temperatures too high to safely stock trout, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife cancelled this week’s load of fish for Lake Selmac.The Josephine County lake was to receive 3,000 trout. These trout will instead be stocked in Howard Prairie Reservoir and the Rogue River above Lost Creek Dam later this month. Additional trout will be stocked next week in Spaulding Pond near Cave Junction.Lake Selmac already has been stocked with 15,000 legal sized trout this year. “We’re hoping we can still put trout in before Free Fishing Weekend, but that depends on whether we get a cooling trend and water temperatures drop,” said Dan Van Dyke, district fish biologist. Free Fishing Weekend is June 1-2.ODFW also cancelled a release of 1,500 trout into Expo Pond at the Jackson County Fairgrounds that was scheduled for the end of May. The annual Free Fishing Weekend event held there is cancelled this year due to scheduling conflicts at the fairgrounds.Van Dyke said if above normal temperatures continue, more fish stocking changes could happen. Lake Selmac measured 70 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, May 13. Ideal temperatures for stocking hatchery trout range from the mid-50s to lower 60s Fahrenheit.

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The Salmon River Mountain Press shares news from federal and state natural resource agencies, environmental, conservation and recreation groups in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The blog delivers the content one news story at a time.